This is the second part of my anticipated children’s book releases for January. I’ve already posted the books I’m looking forward to which are being released on the first Thursday in January which is going to be a bumper release day for children’s fiction. This post includes the books I’m looking forward to which are being published during the rest of January (apart from one which is also 7th January!)
I have included the Goodreads or Waterstones Synopsis for each book.
I’ve adored The Five Realms series, and am so looking forward to reading Uki and the Swamp Spirit. This is also a really popular series in my class. I love that when children read The Legend of Podkin One-Ear, they always ask for the next one!
Uki had the sensation of a sickly green light, spreading out through the networks of water. Of tendrils connecting all the creatures of the marsh in a web . . . Linking itself so it could poison it all and destroy it. Uki and his friends have two more spirits to find and capture. After defeating Valkus, they make for Clarice, who is spreading disease through the swamps. Can Uki and his friends outwit him – all whilst they themselves are being chased by the Endwatch and Jori’s clan of assassins?
I LOVE The Dragon in the Library Series. This is the third book in the series, and I was so excited to see that I don’t have too long to wait until its release! I can’t wait to join Kit, Josh and Alita on their next adventure.
Kit, Josh and Alita are heading back to school – and they’re excited to discover that they’re getting a brand new library, which also means getting their own wizard librarian… and a dragon! But when something VERY BAD happens at the new library, it’s up to Kit and her friends to save the world one more time.
I loved Nizrana’s first book, The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, and read it to my class last year. Her new book sounds like it will be another fantastic adventure.
Razi, a local fisherboy, is watching turtle eggs hatch when he sees a boat bobbing into view. With a chill, he notices a small, still hand hanging over the side… Inside is Zheng, who’s escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of sea monsters and missing treasure. But the villains who are after Zheng are soon after Razi and his sister, Shifa, too. And so begins an exhilarating adventure in the shadow of the biggest sea monster of them all…
I read The Kid Who Came from Space at the beginning of this year and absolutely loved it, so I’m very keen to read Ross’ next book. I have a child in my class who is a big fan, so I’m looking forward to sharing this one with him.
When 12 year-old Malky and his younger brother Seb become the owners of a “Dreaminator”, they are thrust into worlds beyond their wildest imagination. From tree-top flights and Spanish galleons, to thrilling battles and sporting greatness – it seems like nothing is out of reach when you can share a dream with someone else. But… impossible dreams come with incredible risks, and when Seb won’t wake up and is taken to hospital in a coma, Malky is forced to leave reality behind and undertake a final, terrifying journey to the stone-age to wake his brother…
I’ve already been lucky enough to read a proof of this supernatural fantasy, and am looking forward to getting a final copy for my class library.
Amari Peters knows three things. Her big brother Quinton has gone missing. No one will talk about it. His mysterious job holds the secret … So when Amari gets an invitation to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain this is her chance to find Quinton. But first she has to get her head around the new world of the Bureau, where mermaids, aliens and magicians are real, and her roommate is a weredragon. Amari must compete against kids who’ve known about the supernatural world their whole lives, and when each trainee is awarded a special supernatural talent, Amari is given an illegal talent – one that the Bureau views as dangerous. With an evil magician threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is the enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t pass the three tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton …
My class study the Vikings as part of their history, and I’m always looking for books to link to the topic. I think this one will be perfect for my Year 4 class.
A no-good viking thief. The worst-ever trainee valkyrie. An ungodlycase of mistaken identity. When failing trainee valkyrie Lotta mistakes an unconscious viking thief, Whetstone, for a fallen hero and takes him triumphantly to Valhalla, things are definitely not turning out to be epic or glorious. Having lost a precious talking cup, Whetstone is also desperate to cover up his mistake and the two embark on a quarrelsome journey to find it and regain their heroic status. But Loki the trickster God is desperate to get his hands on the cup with a plan to unleash chaos across the nine worlds. Can Whetstone prove himself a hero after all when it matters most?
I read Check Mates when it was first published and loved the relationship between Felix and his Grandfather. I’m definitely looking forward to reading The Perfect Parent Project which I’m sure will include laughter and tears!
All Sam wants is a family of his own, a home instead of a ‘house’ and parents he knows will still be there when he wakes up. Because Sam has been in and out of foster care his whole life and he can’t imagine ever feeling like he truly belongs. Then his best friend Leah suggests that rather than wait for a family to come to him, he should go out and find one. So begins The Perfect Parent Project … But Sam may just discover that family has a funny way of finding you.
I’ve really been enjoying reading mysteries recently so, when I saw the release of a new series, I immediately decided I wanted it – not too long to wait!
Violet Veil wants nothing more than to prove her worth and become her father’s apprentice at Veil Sons Undertakers. And one rain-soaked night she gets her chance when she meets a boy, Oliver, who is wandering around the graveyard. Only, the last time Violet saw Oliver, he was indoors and very much dead, waiting to be buried. Victoria has just found her first case, and it doesn’t get bigger than this: can she, with the help of her dog, Bones, help Oliver solve his own ‘murder’?
Ever since reading The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates, I’ve been keen to find and read more books which are both hilarious and heart-warming. I think I’ve found one with Uma.
Uma Gnudersonn has a head full of questions: How can I save my home from being sold? Will my dad ever start talking again? And how do alpacas get drunk? But since her mum died, Uma’s life has been short on answers. Then she finds a genius artificial intelligence called Athena who knows everything. Suddenly Uma has the answer to any question she can imagine – from the capital of Mozambique to the colour of her headteacher’s underpants – and she’s going to use them to save her home and her father. Along the way, Uma will have to confront the sinister inventor who will stop at nothing to get Athena back – and face up to the fact that not all questions have answers . . .
The title of this poetry collection completely captured me and the illustrations look fantastic. I’m looking forward to reading the poems and adding this one to my class library.
From forgotten jellybeans to sparking daydreams, Alex’s poems, written for primary school age children, are both funny and thoughtful, and aim to spark familiarity and inclusion. And the illustrations from Katy Riddell will focus on the fun and dreamlike quality of the poems’ engagement with the natural world. These poems use rhyme, rhythm and free verse and are ideally suited to performance in a school setting, nurturing a love of language, reading, confidence and self-expression.
There you have it! There are some incredible middle-grade being released throughout January from authors I already know and from some who are new to me! Are there any of these you want to read? Have you any other recommendations?
Book Craic 